Say Thanks A Million

December 14, 1998|By JEFFERY D. ZBAR and Special to the Sun-Sentinel

The holidays aren't the only time Saulene Sutton passes out gifts to her clients.

This season, the president of Chic Ideas Promotional Products & Business Gifts in Plantation will spend more than $1,500 on gifts, cards and other items designed to thank her clients for their business. Remembering and thanking her clients isn't a once-a-year event, Sutton said.

All year long, she'll scour her own promotional gift catalog www.logomall.com/chicidea from her advertising specialty business, she said. From 10-cent brightly colored rulers and pens, to a $2 lanyard for keys, to a $100 gift from Tiffany's for her top clients, Sutton says it's important to remember them -- so they remember her, she said.

The holidays have become the season to remember those who have done you right. From simple cards to elaborate gifts, it's a chance to let others know you appreciate their business. Ticker magazine, a New York publication targeting Wall Street executives, notes that sending a greeting card is one of the five best sales strategies of 1998.

To rise above the clutter of gifts and cards this time of year, some businesses have taken to sending things earlier and throughout the year, said Madelyn Weil, president of Small Business Solutions, a Coconut Creek-based marketing firm.

"Sure the December holidays are a great time to remember clients and customers. But why stop there?" she said.

A few times each year, Sutton will fax a page created with her PC publishing program tying her business in with a given holiday. Sample events include New Year's, St. Patrick's, Valentine's and various national independence days, she said.

Weil suggested getting even more creative. Tap into Elvis's Birthday (Jan. 8), International Thank You Days (Jan. 11-18), Laugh and Grow Rich Day (first Tuesday in February), Dr. Seuss Day (March 2) or International Working Woman's Day (March 8). Her list comes from Chase's Calendar of Events, a book that catalogs national and international holidays and special days.

Any time of year, gift-giving can have its pitfalls. The message can get lost amid too many mugs or promotional items.

Some companies have dollar limits on the gifts their employees can accept and others allow their employees to accept only food gifts, said Cliff Wagner, owner of Adventures in Advertising, a Plantation-based advertising specialty business. He recommends inquiring about the recipient's company policy on gifts.

Wagner has sent gifts that are less for personal use and more for marketing value. For example, he created a jigsaw puzzle imprinted with a company's name and logo and mailed in a can. He has packaged magic tricks, postcards made of wood, and even toy airplanes. He has sent cards that when opened make the sound of a telephone ringing, music or the ocean and seagulls.

The more the gift engages the recipient, the stronger the impact, he said.

"Anything interactive is wonderful," Wagner said. And because of its bulk, a parcel stands out in a stack of mail.

The goal of seasonal greetings or client recognition is to bolster customer relations, said Cheryl Mann Ichel, president of C. Mann Associates, a Parkland-based business growth consultancy. After all, it is more cost effective to develop loyalty from existing clients than to cultivate new ones, said Ichel, past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Ichel rarely sends cards. She says the way to a client's heart is through the taste buds. When she gets a business referral, a new piece of work from an existing client, or when the holidays roll around, she calls neighbor and fellow NAWBO member Chris Drobes of Mrs. D's Gourmet Cookies and sends a tin of treats, she said. That helps build an even stronger relationship, she said.

"It never fails that we get a reply from our client after sending the cookies]," she said. "They are now calling us as a thank you. The next conversation is a warmer, more friendly relation. And that is great for us."

Each year, Ichel also hosts a Hanukkah party for her family and friends. Of the 60 guests, about a third will be clients, she said. Since she's throwing the party anyway, the added cost isn't such a burden. But the rewards are great, she said. Bonds are made stronger, and no longer focus on the business relationship, she said.

"Bringing families into the mix makes the people human. They become more than just business acquaintances," she said. "Our clients appreciate that we consider them friends. When you develop a warmer relationship with a person you're doing business with, they feel more confident in referring business to you."

Jeffery D. Zbar is a free-lance writer who specializes in small office/home office issues. He is the author of Home Office Know-How (Dearborn Publishing, Chicago). He can be reached via e-mail at jeff@goinsoho.com.